Ballard Spahr, a Philadelphia-based law firm with a Delaware office, will merge with Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, a firm that specializes in First Amendment and media cases.

The merger will be effective October 1, and all 25 of LSKS's attorneys, including the four named partners, will join Ballard Spahr in its Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver and New York offices.

Ballard Spahr has an office in Wilmington with about 20 attorneys. With the addition of LSKS, Ballard Spahr will have 675 attorneys across 15 offices in the United States.

"We have made one outstanding addition after another to our Media and Entertainment Law Group..," said Mark Stewart, chair of Ballard Spahr. "With the arrival of LSKS, we will have one of the largest practices of its kind in the country."

Media attorneys at Ballard Spahr and LSKS represent and counsel clients across platforms and industry sectors, including news, entertainment, sports, publishing advertising and advocacy. They have defended media clients in defamation, privacy, and First Amendment litigation.

LSKS represented The New York Times in a defamation lawsuit filed by Sarah Palin, a former vice president candidate, and successfully secured a dismissal. It also helped the Associated Press obtain sealed documents in the Bill Cosby sexual assault case, according to a statement announcing the merger.